There was good news last week for the Folkestone economy with The Workshop creative business centre opening its doors in Tontine Street, and applications opening up for places at the Doug Richard 'School for Creative Start-ups' which will be based at the Creative Foundation.
Last Friday I was given a tour around The Workshop, the unmistakably smart black building in Tontine Street, by Josh De Haan who has developed this project, and James Avery who will be working to provide support for the businesses who are based there. The Workshop will attract creative businesses to work in the town, and the tone is certainly set by the slide that provides a fast alternative route to travel between the top two floors. The building also has a special zone, called The Factory Floor, dedicated for start-ups, where for a low cost businesses will be able to rent space, from one desk upwards, and receive services like broadband and telephone connections as part of the package. This will be an excellent facility for people who may be currently working from home, and cannot yet afford to take up a more traditional business space. These kind of 'incubator' business facilities are popular in major centres of the creative economy, like Tech City in East London, and will give Folkestone some superb facilities that are as good as the best.
The Workshop is also conveniently located across the road from the new Folkestone home of School for Creative Start-ups which had been created by the entrepreneur and former BBC Dragon's Den, dragon, Doug Richard. The School is an adult education skills and support course for creative entrepreneurs who need that extra boost to get their business idea off the ground. Normally costing £3,500 per student, Kent County Council has fully funded 100 places for this Folkestone based programme. These part time courses run from October through to May and include full time teaching days as well as on-going mentoring, support and access to a fantastic network of current and former students. It is focused on creative business sectors including design, digital, craft, music and the arts. You can find out more about the programme and whether your business or idea could qualify from the school's website www.schoolforcreativestartups.com/kent/programme.
Last Wednesday I was invited to speak at and open the B2B business networking roadshow at the Leas Cliff Hall. This event was also supported by the Chamber of Commerce, and I would like to congratulate the organiser, local businessman Roger Knight for setting up this excellent event. It was good to meet as well businesses exhibiting there who were new to Folkestone.
On Sunday I opened the seventh annual Folkestone sandcastle competition on the Sunny Sands beach, organised by local artist Shane Record to raise money for the Church Street Project children's charity. It was good to see so many people out taking part and enjoying the sunshine. You can find out more about the project at www.churchstreetproject.co.uk.